Recently had the opportunity to visit Terashita Kannon with my camera. There’s a giant ginkgo tree there, and its fallen leaves carpeted the shrine grounds with gold.

I feel very fortunate that I get to watch the seasons change here, in Hashikami.

“Freshly pressed Italian chestnut Mont Blanc” @Vansan Coffee Hachinohe

Spotted these beauties convening for lunch today. Three of them sipped away intently, gently opening and closing their wings in the warm sun. They were so content that they let me get quite close, and take multiple photos from several angles. A delightful moment of wonder in the middle of my day.

These are harvested in the fall for use as ear cleaners. 😉

Overnight temps are starting to approach freezing in Aomori, though we’re still a ways off from winter. When seeing my son off to school this morning, there was frost on the farm field down the road from us.

Old bridges have many tiny secrets.

An old friend came back to Japan for a visit, and he asked if we could do a little hike on Mt Hashikami, for old time's sake. It was a grey day, but the views from the top were still impressive, and the mountain offered many quiet moments of beauty. Had a wondertul time!

Fern Gully!

(I know, it’s a rather dated reference 😅)

I attempted a little butterfly photography with my phone recently. It was hard to get proper focus on the constantly moving insects, but the soft blur gives them a certain dreamy quality that I like. I tried to lean into that look while editing.

The sky over Mt Hashikami was beautiful the other night.

Look closely when you climb Mt Hashikami. There are beautiful little moments to discover. 🌱

Sunlight through trees on Mt Hashikami.

Azaleas are still in bloom in Aomori 🌺

Such a colorful time of year!

Got to do a little photography while visiting my wife’s family over Golden Week. Mt Iwaki showed its beautiful face, and my in-laws have a beautiful tree in their garden that produces a lovely silhouette with its gently twisting branches. Really enjoyed having the opportunity to take these photos.

A winter scene from Tsugaru

We had our first proper snow of the season last weekend, and it completely changed the landscape overnight. Enjoyed having a white Christmas. 😊

A few autumn remnants

Summer mushrooms and late autumn moss on a rotting wooden bridge falling apart in the forest.

(Since this is my first post, I’ll mention that I primarily share nature photos taken with my phone and sometimes an old DSLR. I really enjoy seeing other people’s photos, too!)

Toxicologist here for any fluoride concerns! The amount of fluoride added to water to prevent tooth decay is so minuscule that—no matter your age, size, or health status—you would die from water poisoning long before you could ever even start getting toxicity from fluoride. Fluoridated water is safe